Musée Fabre in Montpellier became a true star in the summer of 2012, when it organized with FRAME (French American Museum exchange) the fabulous Caravaggio exhibition, which subsequently traveled around the US. It was founded by French artist François-Xavier Fabre (1766-1837), in 1825 and is located in the old Montpellier, the capital of Languedoc, which was a Protestant stronghold until the 17 … Read More
I eat, therefore I am, at Musée de l’Homme
Musée de l’Homme stupefied us last year with a large exhibition on Neanderthal, where you could actually search for your own origins… This winter, “I eat, therefore I am” (Je mange donc je suis) exposes all the intricacies of food and eating habits in a scientific and sociological way. It is a fun and diverse exhibition with tv cooking lessons … Read More
The two Parisian rip offs of the summer!
Since no-one stays in Paris in the summer, it was tempting to try the very busy restaurants that all my friends tell me about, which are constantly fully booked. I started with “Girafe” in the Trocadero, which has a splendid view over the Eiffel Tower and then had lunch at “Mon Square“, a new very pretty place in front of … Read More
A pretty new garden restaurant near the embassies
Its only immediate competitor is Cercle de l’Union Interalliée which is of course unbeatable for the size of its garden and the quality of its cooking, but Les Jardins du Faubourg, a new hotel open since mid June, is a lovely oasis near the U.S., British, Japanese, Belgian and Uzbek embassies. It belongs to a small family group of boutique … Read More
Papillon, a trendy lunch place
The chef Christophe Saintagne did everything right. He was born in Normandy and raised in Pont Audemer, the village of Gaston Lenôtre and Taillevent (Guillaume Tirel), the 14th century cook, served for his military service at the Elysée Palace in Jacques Chirac’s time, met Alain Ducasse and ran the restaurant Les Lyonnais at 24, worked with Jean François Piège at … Read More
My new lunch place
It’s been a while since I found a cozy restaurant that I wanted to recommend without any reservations. And here it is, near Saint Augustin, a real French bistrot where the owner, Catherine, is always happy to see you and you leave with a very light check. The only problem with “Au Temps” is that it’s not open at night… … Read More
Eataly and La Felicità, an Italian food contest.
La Felicità opened this fall near the Grande Bibliothèque. It was meant to stay open all night but never did, it closes at 10.30 pm or 11 depending on the days and does not serve dinners on Mondays and Tuesday. As a member of the Big Mamma group started by Tigrane Seydoux and Victor Lugger, it can seat 1 000 … Read More
Galeries Lafayette move to Champs Elysées
Galeries Lafayette probably chose the most dramatic times to open their new flagship store on the Champs Elysées but Minister Bruno Le Maire insisted, in his inauguration speech, on the Renaissance of the avenue with this magistral cathedral of design. A department store conceived like a museum, this is not new in Hong Kong or in Japan or even in … Read More